Gedächtnis
by Incubated
Summary: Oneshot. Hwoarang reflects on the mysterious rivalry he shared with a man whom he both hated and admired.


**Gedächtnis **(Memory)

by Incubated

Disclaimer: If I owned Tekken, do you really think I'd be doing this?

* * *

I gazed into the murky ocean waters from my place atop this boulder, with all concepts of time and reality long gone.

There's only one thing I see, and that's your face. It keeps staring back at me, everywhere I look, no matter what I'm doing. Why, as I'm sitting here now, I can see you. Your gaze goes right through my eyes and pierces the very essence of my soul.

Why, Jin? Why did you have to die? Everyone really misses you, you know. Your cousin hasn't been the same since… she always isolates herself. That Ling Xiaoyu girl never smiles anymore. Even people who probably never existed to you are mourning over you. But I know their pain, I'm feeling it too.

You know, Jin, it's rather strange, really, how we used to be rivals. I made it my life goal to defeat you in battle. Now, I realize I'll never get the chance to do that, to settle the score. It really sucks.

You know what else sucks? The last day I saw you alive, you looked at me and told me how you wished we could just be friends, just put all of this behind us. But I'm stubborn, you should know that. I would never back down until vengeance was firmly in my grasp. Now I wish I could go back to that day and relive it differently…

Now you've managed to make me feel dim-witted. Are you proud of yourself? I hope if you're thinking about me in Hell right now, you should know that this is the first time I've ever referred to you by your first name. I still think 'Kazama' suits you much better.

The tide is rolling in now, a gentle, back-and-forth motion that kisses the tips of my toes.

The tournaments aren't the same without you now. There's an aura of obscurity hovering over everyone like a thick cloud. We have nothing to fight for anymore, don't you see? Everyone wanted to fight the legendary Jin Kazama and defeat him. You were the driving force that kept everyone's spirits uplifted. Even your own father… his eyes don't look the same anymore. Maybe he wished he could've been the one who had ended your life, but I know that somewhere under all those shitty genetics, there's a heart.

You should know I don't normally do this. I'm not a very reflective person; this is way out of character for me. But I just can't help but spill my heart out to you, and it's really lame that you can't hear what I have to say now that I actually have the time to think about it.

A few waves are crashing against the rocks. When I gaze upon the rock I'm standing on, I can't help but think of you. And no, it's not because rocks are dense, you dumbass. You always seem to find a way to fight through everything. Every little obstacle that came your way, you just pushed it aside. Even though you came from a crazy family that probably thought about ways to kill you before they went to sleep each night, you still remained strong. Even when you had that unusual gene thing inside of you, you managed to protect the ones who cared for you. Well, we're all still here.

You should know me quite well; I don't usually like to do this. Actually, I hate it… a lot. But, I must say, Jin Kazama, and I won't stutter, I admire you. Yeah, better relish it because I'm only saying it this one time. You've been able to accomplish so much more than I ever will, and for that, I can't help but still resent you.

So when I take one last look at your smiling face watching me, I'll know what to say to you the next time we meet again. You've been my rival, the man I always wanted to be, and… my friend.

I close my eyes and just let go of everything, feeling gravity take control over my freefalling body.

I'll see you soon Kazama.

* * *

That had to be the most depressing piece of work I've ever written. Oh well, I hope it delivered.

Also, I'm sorry if Hwoarang seems really out of character but I always imagined that's how he would react in that situation. (I even tried to throw in some Hwoarang humor to lighten it up a bit)

Don't forget to review! :)


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